A wireless local area network (WLAN) client device may store in its memory one or more persistent connection profiles of wireless local area networks. A persistent connection profile may include, for example, the service set identity (SSID) of the network, WLAN configuration parameters, security credentials, and Internet Protocol (IP) network parameters. The SSID is also known as the network name. The persistent connection profiles may be assigned priorities, for example, by a user that has purchased the client device, a carrier who controls the sale of the client device, or an administrator of an enterprise that has purchased the client device. Generally, user action is required to delete a persistent connection profile from a client device.
Scanning is the process of identifying existing networks. SSIDs in scan results are compared to the SSIDs of one or more of the persistent connection profiles stored in the client device. The order in which SSIDs of the persistent connection profiles are compared to the SSIDs in the scan results may be determined by one or more factors. For example, the SSIDs of the persistent connection profiles may be compared in order of decreasing priority for the persistent connection profiles. In another example, the SSIDs in the scan results may be compared in order of decreasing received signal strength. If there is a match, a WLAN controller of the client device may initiate an authentication process and, if the authentication process is successful, may initiate an association or re-association process with an access point (AP) or, in the case of an ad hoc network, another WLAN client device that carries the wireless local area network the SSID of which matches the SSID of one of the persistent connection profiles. If the comparison does not yield any matches, but there are scan results, the client device may present a list of identified networks (based on the SSIDs in the scan results) to the user of the client device, so that the user can select which, if any, of the networks to join. If there are no scan results, the client device may have its radio enter a low-power state for a period of time, until more scanning is to be done.
If the user of the client device selects an identified network to join, the user may be prompted to enter connection parameters in order to successfully connect to the selected network. A non-exhaustive list of examples for the connection parameters includes WLAN configuration parameters, security credentials, Internet Protocol (IP) network parameters, or any combination thereof. The user may also be prompted whether to save these connection parameters and the SSID of the selected network in a new persistent connection profile. Once saved, the new persistent connection profile is not deleted from the client device until explicit user action is taken to do so. The user may also be able to set the relative priority of the new persistent connection profile. If the user chooses not to save these connection parameters and the SSID of the selected network in a persistent connection profile, then the next time the user selects that identified network to join, the user may be prompted to once again enter the connection parameters in order to successfully connect to the selected network.
Consider a scenario where a user travels by airplane to a three-day conference. The user's client device may connect to a WLAN in an airport lounge, to another WLAN at the hotel and to yet another WLAN at the conference center. If the user chooses to save persistent connection profiles for each of these WLANs, then there will be three additional persistent connection profiles stored in the client device. Until such time as the user explicitly deletes these profiles, they will be compared to the scan results if there is no match to a higher priority profile. If the user chooses not to save persistent connection profiles for these WLANs, then the user will be required to reenter the connection parameters on each occasion that the client device is connecting to the WLAN.
For battery-operated client devices, the process of network discovery and association in a timely manner consumes significant battery life.
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity.